Seoul Overall News

Seeing Seoul’s Allure on TV

07/15/2010SMG2656

In order to showcase Seoul’s allure to the world, the Seoul Metropolitan Government launched TV advertisements in China on June 28th and in Japan on July 4th.

The TV commercial produced this year entitled ‘Infinitely yours, Seoul’ focused on the cultural experience that can be enjoyed in Seoul. The image associated with Seoul was surveyed and needs analysis was also conducted in each region, and based on the results, four emotion codes for the advertisement were selected. This aim of this TV ad is to show Seoul as not just a fabulous tourist attraction but also as a city of hope and admiration.

China : ‘Romantic Touch’ – a city of sophistication and style.

Japan : ‘Lively Touch’ – a city of passion and vibrancy.

Southeast Asia : ‘Fascinating Touch’ – a city of entertainment and fascination.

The Americas : ‘Timeless Touch’ – a city of cutting edge technology and a 600-year history.

Influential Korean stars for each region appear in the advertisement, such as Byunghun Lee, 2PM and the Wonder Girls. On set photos and videos can be seen online.(http://www.youtube.com/seouldreamseries)

According to AC Neilsen, the awareness and preference for Seoul city have risen continuously since 2008 when it started full-scale overseas marketing. In 2008 and 2009, Seoul ranked first in the survey conducted in China, Japan and Thailand that asked which city people wanted to visit the most. And in the New York Times article ‘The 31 Places to Go in 2010’, Seoul ranked third following Sri Lanka and Patagonia.

In 2009, the number of foreign tourists grew by 13.4% compared with the previous year, and the intention of revisit rose by 10.7% from 77.3% to 88%.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is to continue full-scale marketing in the target regions to show the city’s infinite allure to the world in 2010. And this year Seoul will host several huge international events, such as the World Design Capital and the G20 Summit, and these events are expected to attract about 10 million foreign tourists.